The Vow
by l.poe
Summary: Exiled and alone. Ginny revisits her wedding vows and lives them.


Disclaimer:  
I own none of these characters, I just can't stop their voices from rattling around inside my head unless I write about them. Thank JKR for her creativity and generosity for letting me make them my own.

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"I vow to love you, even when you think I don't like you. I vow to take care of you, as only I can, when you are weak, when you are strong, and when you don't want it. I promise show you the good in the world, but to hide nothing from you. And, to cherish the place I have in your heart and swear to never take mine back, no matter how difficult life may become."

The camera swiveled in a blur of white light and lilies to find the handsome profile of Ginny's husband, and the redhead on the sofa sniffled, looking down at her hands wishing she could still their shredding of her tissue. The silence over the old muggle television set seemed to last ages, and for a moment her heart dropped; she thought the wedding gift from her father had broken. Then his voice, smooth and strong flowed through the box's speakers.

"I vow to fiercely love you in all of your forms, now and forever, but to never let you forget who you are. I vow to protect you and shield you from everything within my power, and to think of that as anything that could harm you. I vow to share my world as you have shared yours, and to make our life together everything you have imagined it to be. I vow to stay by your side and keep your heart in mine, even when the path gets dark."

The camera swiveled again, turning to show the unfocused faces of their family and friends, no eye dry. As the camera turned again, Ginny saw her Mother-in-Law in the front pew of the chapel, sitting regal and holding Molly Weasley's hand like a vice, the largest smile on her face. Next to her was Lucius Malfoy, clutching his cane in front of him, watching the ceremony with an impassive face where only those who really knew him could detect the softness in his eyes.

"Happiest day of their lives, you know."

She jumped, her hand flying to her throat, playing with the pearl pendant that rested against the hollow there, a nervous habit she had picked up from Narcissa and their many teas. "Draco?"

"Probably not how they originally imagined it, you know, you aren't Pansy Parkinson, after all."

"Zabini, now, Draco," she said quietly, slowly starting to stand up, dropping the tissue on the floor of her study, balancing herself on the arm of the sofa. She looked like she couldn't quite believe that he was standing there in front of her, almost as if she was seeing a ghost.

"Right, well, they gained a beautiful daughter, that day. And they would never take that back." She closed her eyes as she counted his footsteps, opening them again when they stopped. "I wouldn't either." His hands came gently up to cup her face, his thumbs wiping her tears from her cheeks.

"You're here. You're real," she whispered, putting her hands on top of his own, her voice breathless with disbelief as she leaned her cheek into his palm before turning her head to kiss it. "You're real."

"I'm here, Ginny," Draco breathed, laughing as she jumped, throwing her whole body at him, her arms wrapping around his neck, her legs around his waist. He held her up by her bum, littering her face with his lips. "I'm here, I'm back."

"How long?" She whispered, pulling back, pushing her fingers through his white blond hair relishing the feel. "How long?" When his eyes darkened, she shook her head, forcing a smile onto her lips, kissing him again. "It doesn't matter, you're here, now."

His lips found hers as he staggered around the sofa to sink down on it, her long legs on either side of his lap.

He touched her constantly, running his hands up and down the backs of her legs, up under the soft wool of her too-big jumper, his. He kissed her like she was life, and like he was dying, his hands tracing circles on the soft creamy skin of her back, his other tangling in the bright red of her hair.

"Merlin, I've missed you," he whispered as they finally came apart, stroking the tops of her bare thighs. She smiled, her eyes still sparkling with tears.

"Their last day in the wizarding world!" Arthur Weasley's excited voice shouted through the speakers, "next time I see my little girl I'll have to take a car!"

"_Dad._" "_Arthur!_"

"What?!"

Ginny giggled, turning on her husband's lap to watch as her father turned the camera back and forth between her own face and her mother's, their scowl looking frighteningly similar.

"Do you always watch this at obscene hours when I'm away?" She wrapped her arms around his neck as he shifted under her, resting his cheek against her chest, nuzzling her sweater. "And wear my clothes to bed?"

"Only when I can't sleep," she said, turning away from the TV screen to look at him. "Works better than those bloody sleeping pills they've given me, anyway," she said, wrinkling her nose as she smiled.

"I'm surprised it still works," he said quietly, "it has been six years."

"I think Dad put a charm on it," Ginny whispered, as if the walls around them could hear her talk about magic. "I swear I saw him wink at me the other day when he came over and looked at it for me."

"Your father was here?"

"Both of our parents. They came to tell me they were speaking to the ministry, to get you out. To get us out." Draco sat up, leaning back in the couch cushions with a confused expression.

"But the ministry said…"

"I know the ministry said you could buy our time out of here by being their…" she made a face, shaking her head, "their bait, but your mother and father both think you've done enough time, and that this was more punishment than safety. And my parents have more say, and Harry is finally back…" She fiddled with the collar of his simple white shirt, running her hands down his chest as she slowly undid each of the small buttons. "They said you've been exiled long enough."

"You could go home, whenever, Gin," Draco said, quietly, his hands stilling hers as he collected her wrists, pulling them up to his mouth to kiss them. "You know that."

"I'm not leaving you," Ginny hissed.

"But."

"_No_, Draco. I knew, when I married you, that I would be told to leave the Wizarding World, too, that I would be told to leave _London_, but I didn't turn from you then. I didn't turn from you the other six times you've offered, and I won't now. No, if I ever go back to London, if I ever get to be a witch again, then it will be with you."

He stared at her, his eyes searching hers, then he grabbed her, his arms wrapping around her protectively and lovingly, embracing her as he stood up. Ginny gasped as his lips covered hers in a desperate, possessive kiss.

"Let me show you," she whispered, her hands braced on his shoulders so she could lean back to look at him, "how much I love you."

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A:N/

This is an excerpt from something I've been planning on writing. It will make its way onto eventually. It may be a bit vague, now, so if you have any questions please don't be afraid to ask! Reviews are golden. Thank you (:

Also, if you caught the reference to the vow. Good (: haha


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